In the Santa Clarita Valley, recent rains used to recharge groundwater
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 8, 2008 at 8:41 amFrom the Santa Clarita Signal, news that some of the recent rainfall was used to recharge groundwater basins:
The rain was good news for the L.A. County Department of Public Works, which oversees the Val Verde Water District in the western part of the Santa Clarita Valley. Val Verde maintains various facilities that trap and store rainwater for later use.
A memo to the county Board of Supervisors from the DPW revealed that 8,700 acre feet of stormwater runoff was collected in the spreading grounds over the weekend, and an additional 5,700 acre feet was impounded in reservoirs. “The spreading grounds take stormwater that would otherwise run off to the ocean, and route it to the underground water supply, saving it from waste,” said Melinda Barrett, water conservation program manager for the L.A. County Waterworks Districts. “We’re saving as much stormwater as possible to replenish the groundwater basin.”
Though the majority of water used in the Santa Clarita Valley comes from Northern California Sierra Nevada runoff, about 40 percent is pumped from underground aquifers, natural reservoirs that store water as deep as 2,500 feet below the earth’s surface.
“Locally, the rain help is very beneficial and will help recharge the aquifers,” said Dan Masnada, general manager of the Castaic Lake Water Agency. The agency owns one of the four retail agencies which supply the Santa Clarita area.
Despite intense preparation and planning, the much-feared mudslides never occurred. Bouquet Canyon Road was closed for a short time Saturday because of a minor debris flow, but no major earth movement was seen in the recent burn areas. Firefighters were somewhat surprised but relieved by the lack of activity. “We were prepared, but thankfully nothing happened,” said Art Marrujo, spokesman for the L.A. County Fire Department.
To read the rest of this story from the Santa Clarita Signal, click here.
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